Never
by Eryndil
Summary: A short episode tag following '12:04'. Mick can't help but wonder what Beth looked at when she was poking about in his office.


Title: Never

Rating: G

Pairing: Mick/Beth

Spoilers: Episode 8

Disclaimer: The series Moonlight and all characters from it are copyright of Warner Bros. I have no claim to any rights to the series (if I had, we'd definitely have Mick action figures by now). This story is written for non commercial purposes only.

Author note: This is a short scene set after episode 8, 12:04 am. There is one small moment in that episode that I always found very interesting and this idea came to mind as I was watching the episode for the umteenth time. Mick has all that special PI technology, after all!

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"_I could have lived my life in fear, but somehow I always felt safe. Now I know why."_

"_Now you know why it can never work."_

Mick sighed and put down the report that he had been trying to read for the last hour. It was no use – his mind was too preoccupied with the events of the previous night for him to concentrate on anything else. He kept going over what Beth had said to him and every word seemed to be etched onto his memory.

At last she knew that he was the 'Guardian Angel' who had saved her as a child, and she had taken the news far better than he expected. In a way it was a relief not to have to keep it from her any more but it was also an extra complication. Another reason to avoid getting in any deeper with her. As if he needed any more reasons! He knew how dangerous relationships between vampires and humans could be – not to mention that she already had a boyfriend.

He shouldn't even be thinking about the subject and he wouldn't if it weren't for that one inescapable fact: he was in love with her. There was no way he could deny it to himself any more. And he could see that she had feelings for him, but it was a lost cause. As he had told Beth, it could never work.

He sighed again and stood up, pushing aside the papers from his latest case. He was about to turn away but instead he stopped and opened the folder that had lain underneath them. The photographs were so familiar to him that he could describe each one in detail without needing to look at them. Taken over two decades, the pictures were a visual record of Beth's life, from child to young woman. It must have been quite a shock when she saw them.

He really should have known that she would find the file that he had kept all these years. Curiosity was one of her defining qualities, after all, and his unlocked office must have been like Aladdin's cave to her. Foolish to think that advising her not to go in there would have any effect, except to make it even more tempting.

As he closed the folder and replaced it on the desk, he wondered what else she had looked at while he was out. On impulse he crossed the room and opened a cabinet on the far wall. He reached inside but then paused and withdrew his hand, hesitating as his conscience told him that what he had in mind was not entirely ethical. It took just a few seconds to overcome his qualms – Beth wasn't the only one with a curious nature.

Taking the DVD from the machine concealed inside the cabinet, he sat down at his desk again. He inserted the disk into his computer and started up the media player. He quickly found the section he was looking for, and pressed play. The hidden camera in his office gave an excellent view of the door to his apartment and he watched as the recorded footage showed Beth entering the room.

She briefly looked behind her and then walked over to his desk. Mick was rather surprised to see her pick up his sweater that was lying over the back of one of the chairs – what was she doing with that? His jaw dropped as he saw her bury her face in the dark fabric and close her eyes. Without thinking, he jabbed at the pause button and stared at the image frozen on the screen. Instinctively, he lifted his hand and reached out to touch her face, his fingers lying against her cheek.

For a long while he remained immobile, his eyes fixed on the screen as his thoughts ran in circles. Was there was some hope for them, after all, or was he simply deluding himself? The answer proved as elusive as ever. Eventually, he gave a small, rueful smile, switched off the computer and picked up the report again. No matter what he had seen in the video – no matter how they felt – nothing had changed. He was still a vampire and Beth still had a boyfriend. It was time to stop dreaming of something that would never happen.

"_All I know is, ever since I met you, I've stopped using the word never."_

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Thanks for reading - reviews are always welcome :)_  
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